Harold McGraw, former CEO of McGraw-Hill and grandson of founder, dies at 92

Harold McGraw, former McGraw-Hill CEO, dies at 92

NEW YORK — The chairman emeritus and former chief executive of McGraw-Hill Cos. Inc. has died of natural causes, the company said Wednesday. He was 92.

Harold McGraw Jr. led the publishing and financial analysis company as CEO for eight years and never strayed far from his core belief that McGraw-Hill’s goal was to educate and inform. McGraw-Hill publishes trade magazines and educational materials, both print and online, and owns the Standard & Poor’s credit ratings agency.

Although he was a grandson of company founder James McGraw, he worked his way up from sales representative to become CEO from 1975 to 1983, during which time the company’s revenue more than doubled and profit more than tripled. McGraw defended the company in 1979 against a hostile takeover attempt by American Express Co.

He remained accessible to employees, walking the hallways, eating in the company cafeteria and sending handwritten notes.

“Make sure you get in a job you really enjoy, for doing worthwhile work for a worthwhile mission ought to be exciting and fun,” McGraw would tell employees, the company said.

He also was active in philanthropic efforts, supporting several education and literacy programs. In 1990, former President George H.W. Bush awarded McGraw the Literacy Award in recognition of his lifelong commitment to education. He served as a trustee for the Guggenheim Museum, the United Cerebral Palsy Foundation and the New York City Partnership.

“He was an inspiration to us all,” said one of his sons, Harold “Terry” McGraw III, who is chairman, president and CEO of the company.

A native of New York City, McGraw was a captain in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He joined McGraw-Hill in 1947 and retired in 1988.

McGraw’s wife, the former Anne Per-Lee, died in 2002, and a son, Thomas, died in 2006.

McGraw died at his home in Darien, Conn., Wednesday morning. He is survived by his children — Suzanne, Harold and Robert — and by eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.